Contributed by: GlassPipeMurderGlassPipeMurder(others by this writer | submit your own)Published on July 15th 2011While there have been a number of musical acts claiming the Beggars moniker throughout history, the Beggars in question is a Chicago, Illinois quartet who occupy a unique niche of hardcore and punk-influenced rock.
Far from the vast majority of modern hardcore, Beggars seems to de-emphasize the i.

While there have been a number of musical acts claiming the Beggars moniker throughout history, the Beggars in question is a Chicago, Illinois quartet who occupy a unique niche of hardcore and punk-influenced rock.

Far from the vast majority of modern hardcore, Beggars seems to de-emphasize the importance of rhythm while playing up melodic guitar progressions. Like most modern hardcore, amelodic vocals dominate the mix, with poignant lyrics that were clearly given more than some passing thought. Among contemporaries one might find parallels with a less melodic version of the Bronx, or a less discordant Gallows.

The four songs on this self-titled seven-inch are all fairly homogeneous, though not in a bad way. The record opens with "Get the Hint" and a nice guitar lead and effective vocal meter while running a bit long, given the pace and structure of the song. The straight-ahead, Bronx-y "Forward" packs in some energy but with no compelling movement or dynamics.

One of the stronger tracks is "Wasted", a scathing harangue of an alcoholic father that attests, "Watching you piss away your life with that can of beer in your hand / You made it clear what you valued and who you loved / And it wasn't me and it wasn't mom / ...This song is dedicated to all those that have fathers but still felt like orphans." The foggy, meandering chords that saunter forth on "Mouthful" call to mind the likes of Modern Life Is War, breaking into a measured head-bobber that feels at home alongside "Marshalltown" or "I'm Not Ready".

Aside from the lack of variety and brief moments of drag, there's not much to nitpick on this seven-inch. Beggars competently lay the foundations of their style while offering a glimpse of what may be to come.